Ignition-trouble finder



[ B. GREEN.

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APPLICATiN HLED FEB` 1F, 19H4. 1,352,662, Patentedept. 14, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET i.

UNITED STATES lmrElvfg` orrl'f'cE.

LEE B. GREEN', 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 THE FEDERAL MACHINE PRODUGTS C0., 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.Y

remmen-'raconte nimma.

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

To all'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LEE B. GREEN a citizen of the United States, residing at etroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in" Ignition-Trouble Finders, of which the following is a specification. Y This invention relates to ignition trouble finders for internal combustion engines, and has for its ob'ect a device which will indicate failure o a circuit through the plugs, trouble in the lead wires from the distributar to the ignition trouble device or back of these Wires, or indicate missing of a cylinder, usually due to the shorting of a circuit through a plug.

The device is built so that separate tests may be made to determine the completeness of the circuit through any plug, and separate -tests may be made for trouble in an one of the leads from the distributor. This will best be understood when the construction of the device is apprehended.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the face of the device.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with a portion broken away. Y

Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the spring contact buttons.

Fig. 4.- is a detail of one of the lun ers.

Fi 5 is an enlarged section o he ridging"s eeeve on the plunger.

ig. 6 is a section s owing the plunger set in what is known aslthe running position.

Fig. l pliig out for coni leteness of the circuit.

ig. 8 shows t e plunger set to ground the current. This servs for determining 7 shows the plunger setto test the trouble in the lead from the distributor or back of the same and also serves to indicate missing of a cylinder, as will`appear later.

The device is built Iargel of molded bakelte oran other surta le insulating material which 1s molded about the wires that go to make it up. This bakelite is designated a. Secured to the front end of this block of insulating material is a face plate b which is provided with a Bange c that may be secured to the dash of an automobile or any other convenent,place. This face plate is provided with a `pluralit of glazed openings dand in recessesba', of which terminals form spark gaps e.

ere|

is a spark ga and an opening for each cylinder, here s own as six 1n number. The wire in which this gap occurs terminates in a spring contact button f at the side of a bore through the block in which the plunger g is slidable. This plunger is made of 1nsulating material, or perfectl hard rubber, and is provided with a bri ging sleeve h havmg a painof annular grooves to seat the various contact buttons.

The normal circuit in running position leads from the binding ost z', to which is attached a distributor lea through the wire j to the spring contact button la. Forward of this on the under side of the bore is a contact button Z that will be called the plug contact button for it connects with a plug wire m.

The spark gap e is in' what will be termed a by-pass circuit a. o designates a rounded contact button. All these ounde contact buttons are connected by a single bar p (Fig. 2) and have a single ground wire 'The operation 1s as follows: e current comes in from the distributor lead to the binding post z' and when the plunger is at its extreme inward position runs through the wire the contact button Ic, through the bridging strip k, through the plug contact l and the plug wire m to the spark plug. This is the running position (see Fig. 6). When, after finding that the current comes all right from the distributor, it is desired to test the plugs for failure of circuit through the plugs or their connections, the plunger is pulled out to the second position (see i The current then enters, runs throng the b ass n, jumps the spark gap d (provide t ere is a circuit through the plug) and then runs through the by-pass contact f to the bridge la, the plug contact Z and plug wire m to the plug. If there is no spark at the gap d the operator knows there is a failure in the circuit through the plug. When the plunger g is ulled out to its extreme outward position Fig. 8) the cur' rent comes into the binding post e' (provided there is no trouble in the distributer leads or back of the same), ruris through the byass n, jumps the spark gap d, goes out the y-pass contact f, through the bridge h, reaches the ground contact o, and then runs through the ground bar p and the ground Wire g to ground. If no spark occurs at 'the gap e, the operator knows there is trouble in the distributor leads or hack of the suine. It no spurl: oeeurs in any of the win- (lows (Z the ope'mtor knows that the trouhle lies in the rotor oi the distributor or haelt of the same, that is, that the nui-rent fails at the rotor, some of the Conneetions lending to the rotor, induetion roll, the buttery, or some of the animee-tions. Il the current fails only at one or more of the gaps e with the plnngers all out to the extreme positions, then the operator knows that the trouble is somewhere hetween the ignition trouble finder and the distributor rotor in the dis trihuter leeds that tail.

y successively `cutting out the cylinders, one nt a. time, by this grounding position oi' the plunger, the operator can tell where the missing of tire of-,eurs in the engine. It a cylinder is not missing, the engine will slow down. When a cylinder is reached that is missing, the engine will. continue at the same spend.

It will be apparent from this description that trouble of nlniost any kind in an ignition system ran ine located with considerable ease hy this trouble finder. The first trouble to test for would 'ireferaiily he "trouble in the rotor of the distributor or o? the same. This cnn be eeeomplished by pulling; out the plungers simultaneously to their treme positions. This will tell also whether there is any trouble in the distributor leads. Following this the plugs may he tested. either for shorting or Jfailure of circuits in the ways indicated.

When all the plungers ure pulled out to ext-reine positions the engine will. have to he turned over with the starter or by crank.

ifVhat I claim is:

1. An ignition trouble finder for an internal combustion engine, comprising Ineens for indieating trouhle in the wires leerling from the distributer or haelt nl' the sume, means for inslienting the failure ot Circuit through any one of the plugs and Capable of separately testing euch plug, and means for successively Cutting out the lugsito insite apparent a missing of ny o the eylinders.

Q. An ignition trouble finder for en internnl romhustion enfine, having in combi` nation, ineens lor inrichting trouble in the Wires lending from the distributer :and behind the seme which includes the ground- .ing of the current led through the trouble device, ine-uns for detecting trouble in any one of the plugs in the wey of failure of e circuit either by testing each cylinder seperately or any number of cylinders together, and means for detecting e. missing of any one of the cvlintlers.

3. An ignition trouble finder, comprising an insulated suiport, Wiring in said sup )ort formin e direct eleetrioal connection Vrom a distri uter lend to n plug save for a` swi eh interval and for forming a ley-pass provided with an observable spurl( gap connecting with the plug,r save for the switch interval, und :f1 switrh in said support for bridging the interv-ul in the iliref wire to the plug or the interval in the l A s and disconnecting; the rlirert wire to the plug.

l. n ignition troiilili` ronihinntiou, u support provided with suitniile insulation, wiring nonteined in the: support forming an eleetrirul connection between :s :listrihuter lead directly to the plug save for n. switch intensi and forming e hy-pziss ini-luding :in observable spark ,drip to the plug save for e switeh interval and forming u ground wire, IVnifl :t switch rontaiued in the support for bridging the switch interval in the direct line to the plug, for bridging the interval in the hy-pass line and disconnecting the direct line and for grounding the current in the lay-pass line after `it has passed through the spark gap.

l 5. An ignition trouble finder, comprising a support with suitable insulation, wiring contained in the support and constituting un electrical connection between a distributer lenti und e spark plug save for e switch interval, constituting :i hy pass through an observable spark-gap salve for :1 switch interval land constituting a grounding line for ironiierztion with the by-pnss, and a.. sliding plunger provided with s. bridging sleeve` :adapted to bridge the interval in the direct limV` to the plug, bridge the interval in the ily-pass line und diseonnert the direct line to the plug :ind to bridge the interval. between the bypass und the grounding line.

.i n ignition trouble Ender, comprising housing block, ineens with he assistance oi: switches for lozuii A n. current directly to the plugs through the housing bloeit from nach distriliuter Wire, means for carrying a luy-passed current from verh distrihuter wire, sind an independently :.Agliernhle switeh ing member for ene ilistrihuter wire for controlling the bypassing or the direct pussage ol'V the rurrent tin-mgl; the block.

T. An ignition trouble finder, comprising n housing bloei-z, means with the assistance of switches for lemling; the rur'ent thereu through from each distriliuter leed to the plugs, Ineens for curry ng -guissef tu: rent throngh observable spark gaps, ineens for carrying the current to the ground, end a sepa 'nte switch for eeen :listrihuter circuit to direet the current iut t5; through the trouble devine, hy-pass the eurrent through the gaps to the plugs, m; iti-,Spass the current through the grap to m'wirai.

An ignition troni under, comprising e housingl bloeit, meen-1 with the :issistsnce ol switches tor lending.; terreni. directly therethrough tothe ying, menus for enrry hypassefi rurrent to is .sonrie gaps for rush distributor mreui', ineens; [o esirlyino the grounded ein'reut, unil :'plurulity o finder, hei/'ing inI plunger-like switches one for each distrihiiiter circuit adapted to occupy three po sitions, the position compelling the current to go from the distributer lead Wires di rectly to the plugs, the position compellingthe current to go through the spari gaps directly to the plugs and the third position compelling the current to go through the spark gaps to `ground.

9. An ignition trouble finder, eoinprising a block oi insulating material having Supported therein a plurality of Wires forming means in connection with switehes for carry ing the current directly from the distributer leads to the plugs, means for by-passing the current i'roin each distributor lead through spark gaps, and means t'or carrying such hypassed current to ground, said wires ending in spring contacts at the sides of bores through the block, said block provided with a bore for euch cylinder, and a plurality oi switching plungers each inade of insulating material, one plui'iger for each bore, each plunger heilig provided with u bridging sleeve, whereby the plunger in three separate positions of longitudinal movement allows the bridging sleeve to bridge three seperate pairs of contacts, namely, the contarts leading the current directly from the distributor leads to the plugs, second, bypassing the eurrent through the spark gaps to the plugs, und third, by-passing the uurH rent through the spark gaps and t0 ground.

l0. An ignition trouble iinder, comprising a housing block of insulating material provided with a bore for each cylinder, wiring within the housing block to form separate conducting lines from each distributer to the plugs except for a switch interval, und for forming a b -pass through a` spark gap for ear-h line with the distributer, and r'or `grounding the Current frein each spark gap, and a plurality of slidable plungers ha ving switching bridges for filling whit-h in three positions oi' longitudinal movement Cause the current to godireetly through the switching block from the distributor lead lo the plug, pause the current to br bypassed through the spark gap to the plug, or cause the current to be bypassed from the distributor lead through the spark gap and grounded.

ln witness whereof l have hereunto set iny hand on the 10th day of February, 1919.

LEE B. GREEN. 

